The Master of Ngadain
by Lady Khady
Summary: The Doctor takes Martha on a little vacation, but as usual things don't go as the Doctor planned. As the Doctor is sucked into local politics, the battle with the tyrant that rules Ngadain becomes more personal than he could ever have imagined.


**_Chapter One, A Perfect Landing_**

Martha watched the central column rise and fall slowly, as she stood in the console room. Her head was still ringing from her sudden arrival. She walked around getting her bearings back, as she marvelled at the miracle that was the console room. The whole TARDIS still felt like a miracle, even after everything that had happened, after everything she had seen. The soft hum and the calmness of the console room still made her feel relaxed, kept her mind of the impossibility of the whole thing. She placed her hands on the wall and felt the hum reverberate through her. She tensed as she heard soft footsteps coming up behind her. She felt caught for some strange reason, even though he had brought her here.

"You do know alien abduction is illegal, don't you? There are strict rules about that these days." Martha looked at the Doctor sternly.

"Since when is it abduction when I take a good friend on a little holiday." Martha laughed at these words and hugged the Doctor.

"How are you, Doctor? No companion I see, what did you do this time? "

"Donna's visiting her parents. So I decided to invite you along a little trip." The Doctor stepped on the grid beside her, a gentle smile on his face.

"It's strange being back here and I'm not sure I like the way you've invited me." She made sure she was smiling, to take the sting out of her words. If she was honest she could do with a little vacation, and since her boyfriend was at some conference, this would be the perfect time for it.

"Don't worry; you'll get back in the flow. They all do." His smile became impossibly big and lit up his face. "I've a treat in store for you."

"And that is?" Martha felt familiar enthusiasm rise. He had just promised a vacation after all.

"It's the planet Takandeer; a civilization still in its early development. Comparable to your early Middle Ages, limited technology."

Martha nodded, as she felt her heart flutter with both nerves and anticipation.

"How do these people look?" she asked. The meeting with the assorted aliens had made it abundantly clear that not all aliens looked like humans. And, although there were certainly aliens that looked human, she had learned to not expect anything with the Doctor.

"Humanoid," the Doctor said, as he set their course. Martha watched her travel companion's hands dancing over the controls, simultaneously pushing buttons and turning dials. His hands moved so fast, it almost seemed he was blessed with more than one pair. She had no idea what he was doing and she knew she wouldn't understand, even if he tried to explain it to her, so she just sat back, watched the hands dance and asked about their destination.

"Humanoid? You mean they look like humans?" she asked, just to make sure the Doctor's definition of humanoid was the same as hers.

"Yes, like humans," he said and she nodded, feeling sort of relieved. She wanted a vacation, not a research trip.

"They might be blue though," he added in an after thought, making Martha look up sharply. "There was something about their colouring."

"Blue?" Well she could deal with blue, as long as they didn't have tentacles. "And what else can you tell me about them? What should I wear? "

"Albino," the Doctor said; he had clearly not listened to a word Martha had said. "They're albinos, five foot tall albinos." He looked up triumphantly. Only to meet the annoyed look of his companion.

"I asked what I should wear."

The Doctor gave her a once over and nodded, "Don't worry too much. We'll stand out like a sore thumb anyway."

"You promised a relaxing trip," she said, sounding annoyed.

"Nah, they're friendly. Besides, if I remember correctly, they've a history of visitors. And I have to go there anyway."

"So, you didn't pick it because you thought it would be interesting, but because you've an errant to run. Nice." Martha smiled at the slightly flustered look of the Doctor.

"Yes," he said, smiling winningly again. "But don't worry, it'll only take a moment and after that we can explore the planet. It has the most wonderful plant life."

"Great, can I ask what you need to do? Or will I regret that?"

"I need to pick up some supplies for the sickbay," he said, his voice suddenly had an avoiding tone.

"Sickbay? What could a primitive planet have that the TARDIS can't create?" It intrigued Martha. The sickbay had been like a dream when she first had entered. As a medical student she had been interested in everything to do with the healing arts and the sickbay still was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

"It's an herbaceous plant, if you want to know. A plant that can only be found on a few planets in the universe and, as so happens, this planet has the most potent form. So every now and then I go to one of those planets, to pick up a small supply."

"What's it?" Was her curious question. There was certainly something going on. The Doctor seemed almost embarrassed over it.

"I need to pick up some celery. Are you happy now?" he answered annoyed, as he hit a button on the console with slightly more force than was necessary.

"Celery?" Martha couldn't stop herself and laughed. "You mean the vegetable. The one you use to make soup with and people eat when they're on a diet? That celery?"

"Yes, celery happens to have very powerful restorative properties. And the ones from Takandeer even more so," the Doctor said defensively.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I asked." Martha still snickered at the thought.

Suddenly the Doctor gave another hard bang on the console and they heard the sound of the TARDIS materialising.

"Welcome to the planet Takandeer," he said, as he looked at the scanner. "We're right where we want to be." He took another, slightly surprised, look at the scanner. Martha smiled; from the way he acted he was almost surprise to be where he wanted to be. Almost like he had expected to be somewhere else all together and the fact that they were where they wanted to be was a lucky coincident. And knowing the TARDIS it probably was

"Perfectly, we landed in the forest." Martha looked on the scanner and noticed the darkness of a dense forest, only broken by a sporadic beam of light that had come through the canopy above.

"This forest runs across the only continent on this planet. It covers eighty percent of the land and holds more animals than the rain forest on earth ever did. And we're going to explore it." At these words he opened the TARDIS and walked outside, almost dragging Martha with him.

The forest smelt and looked like the forests she was used to. Earthy, leaves on the ground. It disappointed her, she had hoped the world would look and smell differently than earth. She carefully walked to a nearby tree and placed her hand on it tentatively. This one too felt disappointingly normal. She wondered briefly why they never visited a planet that looked truly differently.

"And what do you think?" the Doctor asked enthusiastic, "What do you think?"

"Are you sure you haven't landed us in a forest in Wales?" Her question was met with a snort and a big smile.

"Look there; have you ever seen that in a forest in Wales?" Her eyes followed his outstretched finger; a small creature was walking in the clearing; a dark green creature that looked like a cross between a giant rat and a hog.

"Okay, not earth. Is it dangerous?" she asked, keeping her eyes on it.

"Nah, it will flee as soon as it sees us. But it does tell us we're close to the edge of the forest. They normally prefer open spaces and they never go far into the forest." At his words the creature looked up and fled.

"Okay, that way," the Doctor said after a few turnings on the spot, trying to find his bearings. They walked for several more minutes. The Doctor kept pointing out creatures, creatures she had never seen. She marvelled at the sharp eyes of the Doctor; he could see things she only saw after he had pointed them out to her and even then she could just see a shadow moving most of the time.

"Stop." The Doctor suddenly halted her movement, before pulling her behind a thick tree trunk.

"What?" she whispered.

"I hear horses. Somebody's coming." His next words didn't do anything to make Martha feel comfortable at all. "Perhaps we better hide until we know who they are." The Doctor looked almost uncertain and, in the long time Martha had known him, he had never avoided a confrontation. The Doctor pulled her in a big undergrowth, a few feet away. It was dense enough to hide them from sight, unless somebody would go and take a very close look. He kept his hand on her shoulder, stopping her from moving. She felt her heart beat like crazy. It felt like the old days again, hiding from danger with the Doctor at her side.

Suddenly a small boy came running from between the trees. Martha estimated him to be ten years old, but she wasn't sure. He could be an old man or a very young child for all she knew. She had no idea how these people aged.

She felt something brush past her and to her horror the Doctor had moved from their hiding place. He pulled the boy towards her; the boy started to scream in fright and put up a fierce fight.

"Don't be afraid, boy, I'm helping you." The boy went slack immediately, as the Doctor pulled him into the bushes. He scrambled back, hiding the boy with his body. The Doctor had been just in time, from between the trees a group of riders came, riding on creatures that could only be described as horses, although they didn't look anything like the horses Martha had seen on earth. Martha felt they looked like somebody had ran a horse straight into a wall at full speed and she felt a laugh bubble. She stopped herself, but the creatures did looked ridicules in her eyes.

Suddenly the tallest men stopped, immediately followed by the others.

"What is wrong, my Lord?" one of them said, but he was immediately silenced as a hand was raised. The name made Martha's heart skip a beat, even after all this time the name still hunted her.

The tall man didn't move, but it seemed like he was listening. Martha took a good look at him. He wore a black cloak, the hood hid biggest part of his face, but she could see the edge of what seemed to be a painted mask that left his mouth free. The little of the skin she could see was clearly not that an albino. The man looked completely different from the other men, who, although dressed similarly, were smaller and their skin was snow white. From the way the man hold himself it was clear he was in charge

The man turned his head around and looked straight at them. She saw hooded eyes through the slits of the mask; they seemed to burn straight into hers. She was sure he could see her.

"It can't be?" Martha could just make out what he said. Then he shook his head. She saw a smirk appear on his face before he pulled the hood over his eyes again.

"Nothing is wrong. I think we should return. He's gone," he said, as he turned his horse and rode away calmly. The others followed him. At the edge, just before he left the clearing, he looked back one more time at Martha.

She waited a few more moments before turning back to the Doctor, who had been hiding the boy. "I think it's save, Doctor."

He nodded, "I think too. The horses are leaving. Unless of course they'll come around on foot. But I don't think so," he added quickly as he saw the boy flinch.

"I thought he'd seen us." Martha felt her heart still beat fast, but slowly it returned back to normal.

"What did you see?" the Doctor asked, as he pulled the boy on his feet. Martha had her first good look of the boy. He was small, she guest about four feet tall, and his hair and skin were so white it was almost as if it gave light. But the most startling were the red eyes that looked at her. They were literally blood red and it scared her a bit. It reminded her of those stories in which the bad guy always had blood red eyes. The boy looked at her strangely. There was something in his eyes, but she couldn't determine what. She diverted her eyes quickly and looked at the Doctor.

"A group of men on horses, they just stopped. Their leader looked straight at me. I know he must have seen me, but he didn't do anything; he just smirked."

"That was the Master of Ngadain, Lord Maanay," the boy spoke softly, looking scared as they both turned to him as one. "He was the one who was chasing me; he wants me death." The boy was trembling.

"Explain," the Doctor said, looking slightly shocked. Martha too felt disgust; why would anybody want to kill a young boy. What could a young boy have done that would merit such reaction.

"I think we need to get out of here, before they decide to return," the Doctor said suddenly, realising that they were in the middle of the forest and that it was certainly not the safest place to be.

"I can bring you to a safe place. There are several of us in the forest. Just follow me." The boy suddenly seemed to have gained some courage.

"That sounds like a brilliant plan," the Doctor said with a big smile on his face. "I'm the Doctor by the way and this is Martha. And who are you?"

"They call me Kaña."

"Kaña." The Doctor looked thoughtfully for a moment, before smiling again. "I knew a Kaña once... I think. Or was it Kona. I'm not sure." He stopped talking as Martha gave him a stern look. "Never mind. It's good to meet you, Kaña. Now you lead on?" A smile appeared at the boys face, as he quickly moved from them. Martha didn't have time to react and the boy disappeared from their sight in moments. The Doctor and Martha stood looking around.

"Where did that kid go to?" The Doctor walked towards the place they had last seen him. Suddenly the boy appeared again.

"Come on, we have to be fast. The camp is deeper into the forest and it is not easy to find, especially not in the dark. I wouldn't want you to get lost."

They quickly followed the boy, who led them deeper and deeper into the forest. Martha had long ago lost her bearing and she knew that she would never find the TARDIS on her own, and this made her feel uncomfortable. The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, as he calmly talked to the boy about the forest.

Martha wondered if the Doctor ever stopped talking like this was a Sunday afternoon walk in the park. Actually she wondered once again if he ever stopped talking at all.

"So have you been to the other side?" the Doctor asked. Kaña looked stunned.

"I have not been into the forest further than our camp. They say there are dangerous creatures that live deep in the forest. Dragons, lions." Martha felt a stab of fear.

"There are dangerous animals in the forest?" Martha hated how her voice faltered, as she asked the question.

"There are some lizards, but they're harmless. They make good pets though."

"You have seen the dragons?" The boy had stopped death in his tracks and looked at the Doctor in shock. "But you're alive. They say their breath is deathly and they kill you with your eyes."

"Superstition," the Doctor said dismissively.

"Are you sure?" Martha asked, knowing the Doctor's tendency to not notice danger even when it was holding a gun to his head.

"Of course not, but I'm pretty sure. The ones I met were all very nice creatures. They may look dangerous, but they're harmless."

"They say he has one," Kaña said with fear in his voice. Then he stopped walking, placed his hands on his mouth and gave a short shriek.

"Now we have to wait. They're checking whether it is safe to continue." At these words he sat down, gesturing the others to sit down too.

"That was a very good imitation of an owl," the Doctor said conversationally, but Martha saw his eyes look like he was lost in thought. He was probably pondering the same question she was. Who was this Master? The name alone was enough to make Martha worry. Why did he scare the boy so much? The Doctor sat down too, but Martha felt too restless and walked small rounds looking at the strange leaves that fell down every now and then. She wondered if it was autumn currently, and whether they had autumn here at all.

Suddenly another shriek could be heard and the boy got to his feet again.

"It is safe. Let's go." He led them even further into the forest, until their path was blocked by a group of threes, with undergrowth so dense a mouse couldn't pass. Martha wondered how they would ever get through it. There was no way, not without them getting very dirty and probably torn up by the sharp branches. Martha just walked to the wall of plants, when she felt a sharp tug at her arm and she stopped mid-step.

"Don't move. If you do they'll kill you," the Doctor said softly to her. She watched him, as he pointed to several threes.

"I don't see anything," she said, but as the last word left her mouth she saw the sparse light reflect of something in one of the threes. She squinted her eyes on it and saw a man sitting there, aiming what looked like an arrow at her.

Suddenly several people jumped from the trees, all aiming weapons at them. She looked at the Doctor to see what he would do. He took a step to one of the men, who recoiled and took several steps back, his weapon still aimed at them.

They were afraid of them.

"I won't harm you," the Doctor said in a voice that was both demanding and comforting. Suddenly Kaña stepped forwards.

"He is not a danger," he said quickly, "He saved me. They are send to help us."

"Send?" The Doctor looked suddenly uncomfortable and Martha realised they were being deified at the spot. She couldn't stop herself and let out a laugh. All the men moved back, looking even more scared.

"Martha." The Doctor looked sternly at her and she shrugged her shoulder.

"They think we're some sort of royalty?"

"Yes, now try to act like it. It might help us." he whispered to her, "We won't hurt you. We just want a safe place to sit and talk, and perhaps to eat something." He aimed his last words at the surrounding men.

"They are welcome here. They are welcome to join in our meals and drinks," a loud voice sounded from behind them. Martha and the Doctor whirled around; in front of them stood a man, dressed in clothing that looked ridiculously out of place this deep in the forest. It was elaborate, in both colour and fabric. Bright reds and greens, embroidered with what looked like gold-thread. Martha suspected that he was somebody important.

"Thank you. I'm the Doctor and this is Martha. And we're honoured to join you."

"I'm Thanio." The man smiled and bowed, opening his arms and suddenly a gap appeared in the growth behind him.

"After you, Milady." The Doctor made an elaborated bow as he guided her to the gap. In the corner of her eyes she saw the other men scramble to bow for her too. She felt ridicules and wondered why travelling with the Doctor was always this surreal.

She stepped through the gap and the sight that met her eyes made her jaw drop. A complete village was build in the middle of the forest. A village complete with a church tower and town square.

"Welcome to Suwo, Milady. Welcome to our home."


End file.
